Waiting To Be With You
by Lady Monozuki
Summary: Fuji/Ryoma one-shot character death : It was ten years since that day and all he could do was wait to join the one that he missed the most.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis**

Lady Monozuki: My muse is in overdrive as of late. I hope you enjoy the results. Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing!

_Waiting To Be With You_

Today marked the tenth year of something he had lost. It was hard to remember how he had even made it this far. The journey certainly hadn't been easy, but it was something that he had to do. He promised that no matter what happened, he would live his life to the fullest. Soon though, he would be joining the one he loved. He sat in the hospital, waiting to hear the results of the tests. He already knew that his condition was rapidly deteriorating.

However, he wanted to know how bad it was. His body was slowly dying on him, making it harder to accomplish the few goals that he had for himself. There were some that were never attained because three months after he lost the love of his life, he found out that he had a rare condition that would eventually kill him.

First his muscles would deteriorate and then his organs would quit on him. It was getting closer to the last stage because he had been confined to a wheelchair for the greater part of the past ten years. He had given up his goal of overtaking his father because of it and he had given up and hope of being with the person he cared for most. He tried to keep the memories at bay, but it was hard to do considering that they were always on his mind.

They were both the reason he kept fighting and the reason he was so broken. The door opened, revealing a familiar face from his junior high days. Tezuka had also decided not to pursue professional tennis and ended up working as a doctor.

"It is as we feared," the former captain said in a low voice. He could tell that he could pass on at any moment just from the tone. "I ask you to reconsider your choice. There is a chance that we can slow down your condition."

He gave a small smile, all that he could really manage. "I have someone waiting for me," he whispered. "I've been waiting to be with him for a long time."

The doctor was solemn. "He's probably waiting for you too. It's surprising you've lasted this long."

"It's because he's watching over me. His death is the reason why I'm alive."

"Aa, I know how much he meant to you. I'll have someone help you out. I'll see you next week then, Echizen?"

"We'll see," he muttered.

It wasn't as if he was trying to be dark by talking about his death all of the time. However, he was hardly one to deny his condition. Though he had to admit that it took him awhile to accept it, he could not do anything to reverse it. Now, all he could do was try to enjoy his final days. To the public, it would be a shock to find the former rising tennis star in this state. To his friends though, they were trying to make every moment last for as long as they could and hope that he would find something else to live for. Even though they already knew that his heart had died away when the accident occurred.

A nurse helped him out to the front where a large vehicle was waiting for him. Momoshiro Takeshi, who had the day off from work and took him to his appointment, provided his ride. He waited for his friend in all of this to help him into the car since he could not do it himself. He disliked being unable to help himself, but it was another thing that he had to accept. His life had turned upside down in three months; it was odd to think that such a short amount of time would cause him to lose his soul and body.

"What did Tezuka say?" Momoshiro asked.

"It's progressed even more. We don't know how long I have to live."

"I see," his friend muttered.

"Take me to his grave," he said.

"Okay."

Under normal circumstances, the Momo he knew would have refused. However, he could ask just about anything of his friend. It bothered him yet put his mind at ease knowing that they were willing to sacrifice so much for him. He really didn't deserve it. He supposed though that they all felt as guilty as him. After all, it was not something that they could easily forget. He closed his eyes. He wondered if the others had visited the grave yet. He smiled lightly. They would never be able to forget.

The car came to a halt. Momo helped him out by and took him to the spot where they had put to rest one his lover. He stared at the tombstone. It was another reminder that he could not be with the one that he so desperately wanted to. The plaque looked as though it had been cleaned and there was a bouquet of flowers on the marble.

"I'll be back later," Momo said. He was grateful. Now he could be alone. He waited a moment before starting his ritual.

"Hello Syuusuke," he whispered. "It's been ten years. I've survived this long without you. Soon I can join you. I bought the space next to you so that we can be near each other. Tezuka says I don't have long, but we both knew that. He also wanted me to get help. You probably would have wanted me to get some if you were here. But I feel as though I've lived long enough without you. Besides, it's unfair to keep you waiting."

He fell silent, trying to not let tears fall. Why was this so hard to do? The wind started to blow, making him shiver from the cold.

"I never thanked you for saving my life, all of our lives really."

_They were returning from a tour in the early hours of the morning. All of them were exhausted but could not sleep because they were uneasy. For some reason, their opponents still made them shudder. They had won the tennis matches fair, but there was something in their eyes that indicated that this was far from over. Their suspicions were correct. Before they made it back safely, their bus was shot at. With their tires out, they came to a screeching halt. All of them were thrown from their seats. He suffered the least amount of impact because his boyfriend had protected him._

_He stared up at Syuusuke. The tensai was struggling to stay conscious. He frowned._

"_You didn't have to do that."_

"_I wanted to. Now, call the police. I have the feeling we're going to need them."_

_He did not waste a moment in calling the police. Two people broke a window and entered their bus. They were carrying guns. Everyone did not dare to say anything as they demanded that they all get up. He helped Syuusuke stand up and they were soon all bundled into a corner. He kept checking on his boyfriend's injuries. The rest of his team had suffered minor wounds, but his boyfriend seemed to be in far worse shape. He blamed that on him crashing into the tensai. _

"_Which one of you is Echizen Ryoma?"_

_He felt his chest tighten. They were after him. He was about to speak up with his boyfriend stood._

"_What business to you have with us?"_

"_Che, so arrogant," one of them growled. "You should learn your place. This is a message from our boss. We don't take losing lightly."_

_The person lifted his weapon and fired three rounds. Ryoma could only watch in horror as the penetrated his lover's body. He saw the person fall slowly to the ground; he rushed to catch the wounded Syuusuke. Angry could not even begin to describe what he was feeling at the moment. In fact, there were a rush of emotions that he could not figure out._

_The wailing of sirens in the background must have scared them because they instantly left the bus. He was left to cradle the head of his boyfriend, who still had a smile plastered to his face._

"_Syuusuke," he whispered. "Why did you do that?"_

"_Saa…"_

"_Answer me!" he demanded. He couldn't stop the tears from falling. It was one of those rare times where he allowed himself to show such emotion._

"_If I hadn't, you would have died. I don't want you to die. Promise me something, Ryoma."_

"_What?" he asked._

"_Live your life to the fullest, no matter what happens."_

"_I will," he promised._

_As soon as the words were spoken, he noticed that the tensai was no longer breathing._

"_Syuusuke!" he cried._

_There was no saving his lover._

He could not wipe away the tears that were now flowing down from his face. All because they had won some stupid matches did he lose the only person that had meant everything to him. He leaned forward in his chair, falling forward so that he could be on the ground. He had not lost all movement yet and he pulled himself closer to the grave. He closed his eyes.

"You always told me that you would be waiting for me. I have been waiting to be with you. I'm coming, Syuusuke."

The skies began to clear, warming his cold body. He drew in a breath and smiled. He would be going back to Syuusuke's arms. This time though, nothing could separate them.

~End~


End file.
